We have just left Adventureland and are on our way into Tomorrowland. Since cell phones and other such internet enabled devices are banned, the only chance to get information is crossing in front of the wait time board. Looks like we made some good decisions earlier. Matterhorn is up to a 40 minute wait, Splash Mountain is at 55 minutes, Indy is 55 minutes, and what's this, Space Mountain is down?
We walked over to confirm Space Mountain was 101, and sure enough it was closed. We grabbed a fastpass for Star Tours, then jumped in a 10 minute line for Buzz Lightyear.
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters - 2 points
When you enter the first room, find the Boxobot. Floating in space behind him is a space station that looks like a green fire hydrant. How many people are in this space station?
A) 1 B) 3 C) 5 D) 8
We counted C) 5. After walking across the hub, stopping for fastpasses, waiting in line, and riding the ride, it was 1:00pm and we've now earned 30 points.
We've been racing for 4 hours, earned 30 points, so we're averaging 7.5 points per hour. This year the organizers have thrown in a twist. Normal finish time is 8pm, but if you turn in your answers by 6:30pm, you earn 10 extra points. If you turn in your sheet at 7:00pm you get 5 extra points. Anything after 7pm and you collect whatever you've earned. Those 10 extra points for turning in your sheet early are starting to look pretty good.
Walking by Space Mountain, we see that it is still down. Innoventions has no line, so we decided to stop by for a quick 2 points. The longest part was getting downstairs. A cast member was blocking the entrance to the stairs, and you were required to walk the entire circumference of the 2nd level before going downstairs. I haven't stopped by to see the Iron Man exhibit yet, so I got a brief 3 second look while we passed by.
Innoventions - 2 points
Find the science fair trophy in the Peter Pan room of the Microsoft Dream Home. What is the name of the school at the base of that Trophy?
_ _ _ _ _ _ Gwinnett _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ School
Here's something I didn't even know existed, though Ruston has done it before. I didn't know a cast member reads stories from Peter Pan to the gathered audience while the room reacts to what's going on in the story.
For this clue, a cast member stationed herself at the entrance to the door while the show was going on and was giving the answer to the clue, and asking the teams not to go in and disturb the reading. I assumed this was within the rules since we didn't ask the cast member for help. We had gone on the ride, and this was the proof we needed.
The answer we were told was Button Gwinnett Elementary School. 1:08pm with 32 points in the books.
Exiting Innoventions, we see Space Mountain still down. Nemo is a 30 minute wait and Autopia is 20 minutes. Nemo was already on our questionable list of rides to go on. Assuming the ride takes 15 minutes, with a 30 minute wait, that's 45 minutes to earn 3 points. We'll skip it for now.
Autopia it is. A fastpass would have been nice, but we're already holding one for Star Tours. While in line, we ended up right behind team California Adventurers and chatted with them.
20 minutes was actually an underestimate. It took us 25 minutes to reach the front of the line, and that was with a little bit of good fortune at the split to go left or right.
Vader doesn't drive himself.
Autopia - 2 points
In the car park scene, the old Mr. Toad car on the left hand side of the track does NOT have a license plate.
A) True B) False
With no license plate on the front, and nothing on the back (got to watch out for those tricks) the answer was A) True. We got off the ride at 1:40pm and we're up to 34 points.
Exiting Autopia, we looked up at Space Mountain and saw people walking on the second level. Looks like it just recently opened up! Time to rush over. It would have been great to get a fastpass, but we'll be braving the regular line this time. The estimate of a 30 minute wait time was pretty accurate. While waiting, Ruston was pretty popular with people pointing him out. He took photos with a few different groups and made a lot of people smile.
Space Mountain - 3 points
At the base of the first lift hill, there is an unlit green exit sign at the base of an emergency exit door. Following the door jamb up, directly above the sign there is a...
A) Door knob B) A light C) Red fire alarm lever D) Yellow warning sign
It comes quick, it's dark, and I didn't get a photo of it, but we saw a C) Red fire alarm lever. By 2:20pm we were off the ride and walking up the exit. 37 points in the bank.
At the exit of Space Mountain is the Starcade. There was an easy 1 point here.
Starcade - 1 point
How many pinball machines are currently in the Starcade?
A) 0 B) 2 C) 3 D) 4
No photo, since we were on a mission to get to the next ride, but we counted B) 2 pinball machines. About 2:21 and we're up to 38 points.
Time to use our fastpass for Star Tours. It didn't buy us a much of a benefit as we were hoping though as it took 20 minutes to get on the ride.
Star Tours: The Adventure Continues - 3 points
The onboard monitor at the right of the cabin displays the same message as you enter the cabin as it does at the end of the ride.
A) True B) False
As you enter it displays Welcome Aboard and as you're leaving it says Please Return Your Flight Glasses At The Exit. The answer is B) False. It's 2:50pm and we've earned 41 points.
Finding Nemo was still holding at a 30 minute wait. Definitely skipping it for now.
Time to earn an easy 4 points. The Disneyland Railroad has four separate stops and you earn 1 point for each stop. Starting in Tomorrowland we got to go through the Grand Canyon diorama first.
The Disneyland Railroad: Tomorrowland to Main Street Station - 1 point
How many mountain goats do you see in the Grand Canyon Diorama scene?
A) 3 B) 5 C) 7 D) 8
Including the baby mountain goat, we've got B) 5.
The Disneyland Railroad: Main Street Station to New Orleans Square - 1 point
Leaving the jungle, you suddenly pass a loading dock just before entering the tunnel prior to the station. How many barrels are marked "Beads"?
A) 2 B) 3 C) 4 D) 0
Might be a little difficult to see, but we counted B) 3, two on the left and one on the right.
The Disneyland Railroad: New Orleans Square to Mickey's Toontown - 1 point
Shortly after exiting the tunnel from Splash Mountain, you will pass through a wooden tunnel near the Hungry Bear restaurant. How many lanterns are on the walls of this tunnel?
A) 0 B) 2 C) 4 D) 8
It came pretty quick, and I was slow to get a picture due to counting the lanterns, but we saw 2 lanterns inside the tunnel, then a third lantern after we exited the tunnel. Guess the answer is B) 2.
Looking out at it's a small world, we see the lines are pretty short. That bodes well for us for later.
The Disneyland Railroad: Toontown to Tomorrowland - 1 point
After passing through the it's a small world facade, you will see a sign that says AGRIFUTURE. Does the farm house on the Agrifuture sign have a satellite dish on top of it?
A) Yes B) No C) There is no farm house on the sign
It's small and a little difficult to see, but there is a dish on the top of that house. Total time on the railroad, ~25 minutes, finish time of 3:20pm and we just earned 4 points. That gives us a total of 44 points.
After exiting, we walked by Finding Nemo and the wait time was up to 45 minutes. Sorry Charlie (Nemo), we won't be riding you today.
A fairly quick walk over to it's a small world and there was only a 10 minute wait. We always choose the right side at the split, and track whoever we'd be behind on the other side. It was definitely a good choice because we were on the boat while the left side only rounded the top turn.
it's a small world - 2 points
When your boat enters the Mexico section, The Three Caballeros will be directly ahead of you. Above them are a collection of golden medallions. How many golden medallions are there?
A) 3 B) 7 C) 9 D) 12
While some of them definitely had a silver tint to them, we eventually decided the organizers wouldn't try to be that tricky. We assumed all of the medallions were golden and chose D) 12. It's 3:45 and we're up to 46 points.
The Soundsational parade started at 4pm, which meant the Storybook Canal boats were closed. Speaking to the cast member at the entrance, we learned it would re-open at 4:30pm.
Alright, time to grab some points on Peter Pan even though the lines are pretty long. The wait sign said 30 minutes, which we thought was better than the 35 minutes listed earlier. It still looks pretty long though. In the end, we probably waited around 35 minutes to board our flight to Neverland.
Peter Pan's Flight - 3 points
Just after Skull Rock, you will by flying above the battle scene on Captain Hook's Ship. What is Mr. Smee holding?
A) Fish B) Bat C) Sword D) Knife
He's pretty small down there, but he looks to be holding a D) Knife. Finally off the ride at 4:24pm with 3 points to show for it. That makes 49 points total.
So we've got 6 minutes before the boats open back up. Is that enough time to get from Peter Pan back into Big Thunder Ranch and back again? Decisions, decisions....
Yes, let's go for it!
Big Thunder Ranch - 1 point
Enter Mrs. Chris' cabin and locate the red ribbon to the right side of the fireplace. Which year is featured on the red ribbon?
_ _ _ _
1980 is shown on the ribbon. 4:27pm and we've hit the halfway mark of 50 out of a possible 100 points.
With 1 minute before opening, the Storybook Land Canal Boats already had a small line waiting for it to open. It definitely paid off to show up right when it opened. We only waited 10 minutes or so while the boats were brought out of the boat house, and the line had swelled behind us in the mean time.
Storybook Land Canal Boats - 2 points
While passing the island of London Park spot the sign. What color is the lettering for the words "London Park"?
A) White B) Yellow C) Purple D) Sparkles
Looks C) Purple to me. It's a fairly slow ride, and it wasn't until 4:55pm until we got off. That bumps us up to 52 points.
Giant ducks are invading London Park! They throw the sense of scale off a bit.
But sometimes you'll get things that happen to line up just right and look like they belong together.
Well we've done quite a few big rides here at Disneyland. Next up, California Adventure!
Walking back down Main Street there were a couple easy points to collect.
Main Street Cinema - 1 point
The exact same amount of "audience members" are watching the movies being screened.
A) True B) False
I didn't get any pictures inside the Cinema, but one screen had 48 people watching, while another had 58. Pretty easy point. 4:58pm and up to 53 points.
The Disney Gallery - 1 point
Go to the furthest room in the Gallery. How many light fixtures are on the walls?
A) 4 B) 8 C) 10 D) 14
(in my best Jean Luc Picard voice) THERE ARE B) 8 LIGHTS! (random Star Trek: The Next Generation reference). 5:00pm, 54 points.
The one question we thought would have been pretty easy to answer without riding was
Disneyland Monorail - 2 points
Can you see the yellow construction crane over Big Thunder Mountain while passing in front of Disneyland's front gate?
A) Yes B) No
Well earlier this week, the crane came down completely. You can't see it from anywhere. Of course you could have answered B) No, but that wouldn't be in the spirit of the games if you didn't actually ride it. We didn't answer this question.
A quick walk across the esplanade to DCA and we've got only 1:30 to do as much as we can.
We grabbed a fastpass for Soarin', unsure if we'd be able to use it or not.
Continuing on to the Redwood Creek trail, we got the following question.
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail - 1 point
Locate the Millennium Tree. Find the small piece of information to fill in the blank.
1890 American Naturalist _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
American Naturalist, 2 words, 4 letters each, probably John Muir.
Yep, finding the tree, we confirmed it was John Muir. 5:10pm, 55 points.
While the Little Mermaid had a big extended queue that was useful when it first opened, it's not needed much anymore. Today it was literally a walk-on ride.
The Little Mermaid Ariel's Undersea Adventure - 2 points
During the Under the Sea sequence, your clamshell will pass under a rock arch. How many fish are dancing atop this archway?
A) 2 B) 3 C) 4 D) 7
Easy to see there are C) 4 fish. 5:15pm and we're at 57 points.
Not too much time left, but lets try to squeeze in a few more. Screamin promised a 15 minute wait and was true to its word. Ruston was still woozy from riding Space Mountain and immediately following it with Star Tours, so he opted to sit this one out.
California Screamin' - 2 points
As you pass under the bridge prior to launch, there is a door on your left. What does it say on the door AND what color is it written in?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ A) Black B) Yellow C) Red D) Green
It's tiny and out of the way, but we can see it's a Secured Area written in C) Red. 5:35pm and 59 points. What else do we have time for?
Hoping to get a quick 1 point, we headed to the Boudin Bakery Tour. Looking back, we probably should have skipped this one. It took a while to get to the video with the correct answer, and with that kind of time, we might have been able to go on a bigger ride for a couple more points.
The Bakery Tour - 1 point
What temperature does the bread dough need to be kept at inside the refrigerated Fermentation Room?
A) 14F B) 50F C) 68F D) 80F
No photos on this one either, but it's B) 50F. 60 points at 5:45pm.
We cut through Cars Land to make our way to a Bug's Land. We didn't think we'd have enough time to go through the single rider line for Radiator Springs Racers (worth 4 points), so we tried to get a few smaller ones instead.
Probably the easiest 2 point ride you can do. It can't last more than 60 seconds and even though the sign says a 10 minute wait, there is really a zero minute wait.
Heimlich's Chew Chew Train - 2 points
Just after the huge cupcake, how many pieces of wrapped candy are there?
A) 2 B) 3 C) 4 D) 5
While there are 4 pieces of candy total, only A) 2 are wrapped. 62 points at 5:52pm. We're running out of time...
So what's close. Tower of Terror, worth 3 points is nearby, but it had a 50 minute wait. No thanks.
Monsters Inc is usually slow right? We hoofed it over there and found a 25 minute wait. "What's going on?", we asked the cast member. She said immediately following the Pixar parade, the line swells.
At this point, we could have used our Soarin' fastpasses, but we didn't think we had enough time to wait in line, ride it, and get to the finish line for the 10 bonus points.
Off to the animation building! It's a gamble, you can always hope you get lucky. We arrived around 5:57pm and were hoping we'd get our answer quick.
Disney Animation - 1 point
Stand in the animation building courtyard and watch the loop of animated Disney films until you find your answer. What film plays after the clips from The Little Mermaid?
A) Beauty and the Beast B) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs C) Mulan D) Aladdin
I thought the loop was around 16 minutes long and was hoping to spend at most 8 minutes waiting.
Turns out, the loop is 27 minutes long. While we're waiting, quite a few teams make their way into the lobby. I think all the new teams entering were happy to see other teams waiting, because it meant they didn't just miss out. At one point I counted 7 different teams waiting. It was actually quite humorous with that many teams there. A movie would play and if the next one wasn't The Little Mermaid there was a big "Awwww!" from all the teams waiting. It got louder and louder until finally we saw Ariel, then a giant cheer went up.
I guess we got lucky in the sense that it didn't take all 27 minutes. We waited 15 minutes to find that A) Beauty and the Beast follows The Little Mermaid. 6:12pm and 63 points.
We walked over to Monsters Inc, hoping for a short 5 minute line. No such luck. The line stretched outside the door and was estimated to be 10 minutes. Combine that with a 5 minute ride time and we don't have any time left to get to the finish line.
I guess that means our day is over. We had a great time racing all around the parks today. For our first Gumball Rally, we were excited that we were able to complete 6 DCA attractions and 30 Disneyland attractions for 63 points.
Anyone want to venture a guess about how many teams turned in their game packets early? Dusty asked for a show of hands at the Awards party and if I had to guess, I'd say 90% or more teams turned in their packet before 6:30pm for the bonus 10 points. We had quite the crowd waiting in line with us to cross at the light at Harbor Blvd.
At around 6:23ish, we turned in our packet for a 10 point bonus.
Total - 73 points. I'm curious to see how that matches up.
We headed back to the Mickey and Friends parking structure to grab our cars, and had dinner at Mimi's Cafe. After dinner, it was just a quick walk to Howard Johnson's and we were able to leave our cars at Mimi's.
Did I completely miss that the awards party was outdoors? I guess I was expecting a large conference room inside and warm. Should have brought a few more layers.
Though our team didn't get called or win any prizes, we enjoyed a Who Wants to be a Millionaire style game played with teams selected by a random number.
At 9:35pm, the results had been calculated and it was time to start handing out awards.
While Team World Explorers didn't finish in the top ten, we still had a great time today.
Congratulations to all the teams!
Just a random observation, it seemed like most of the top 10 teams were two person teams. Do they just move faster than bigger teams?
I guess we'll know more when the official results come out.
Anyway, it was a great day at Disneyland with lots of fun memories. Who wants to race next year?!?
Great review, Joe! You're SO thorough... you should be a columnist for a newspaper or something!
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